Author: Bobby Rockers

Make your own Run Command

Several articles
I have posted have covered the utility and functionality of the KDE Run
Command. I have begun using one more… this one is based (slightly
modified by myself) on information presented in a KDE tutorial by Antonio Larrosa Jiménez. Check this out.

Go
into your KDE Control Center and browse to the “Web Shortcuts” section
in “Web Browsing.” There will be a list of web shortcuts that can be
used from within Konqueror and the KDE Run Command. Click the “add”
button and put the following information in the text boxes:

Search Provider Name: Qt Documentation
Search URI: /usr/share/doc/qt-devel-3.1.1/html/\{@}.html (works for Redhat 9; qt-devel-x.x.x will need to be modified for your specific Qt distribution)
URI Shortcut: qt,QT,Qt

When you click the ok and then apply you will be able to access the qt documentation via run command simply by typing qt:qstring (qstring being name of object function or tool instant entire c its like developer heaven>

Another great example of the functionality and flexibility of KDE and QT.

eDirectory via LDAP

We are beginning the process of converting some of our workstations of to Linux.  Our current infrastructure seems to be ok, but we were having a little bit of trouble authenticating to Novell’s eDirectory.   For anyone who is having this same problem here is a straight forward tutorial Mike found on getting it working, written by Novell itself. 

My Own TiVO

I have been looking at HTPC stuff as of late because Mike’s very sweat TiVO unit.  Well unknown to some is the fact that TiVO is Linux powered and any Linux enthusiast can make their own (and include whatever options they want.)  Things like xmame for video game playing, DVD ripping/burning, TV-to-DVD burning, web access controls, etc.. are just a Linux box away.

Found a couple good resources for this.  HTPC How-to is a great resource; as is mythTV (check out the screen-shots.. if you don’t know what Linux is capable of it will blow your mind.)

Change is good

Just thought I would pass another KDE link along.  this link talks about kconf_update.  Its a KDE script designed to auto-magically update KDE configurations for all users on a given machine the next time that user logs in (the first time after kconf_update has been installed.)  Need to do a system wide change to all your KDE users personal settings 6 months after an install?  Here ya go.

Its my life

Mike passed my along this link on Software Reality concerning the instance of role fragmentation in the IT work-place.  Its basically a 15 minute rant, but damn if its not funny (funny in a “oh crap, this is my life!” way.)  If you are a programmer you will appreciate this.  If you are a programmer that is managed by a network administrator you will really appreciate this.

How much is it gonna hurt

Have run into a couple problems the last few days.  My home Linux box got hacked via weak user password (my wife now has some “minimums” for her password=) ) and backdoored.  You can check out here to see a pretty good list of *nix backdoors and rootkits.  You will forgive me if I don’t go into too much detail yet…

Seek and you shall find

The link on Jason’s blog pointed in the direction to find this link. Rhymezone is search engine for public domain information.  Jason used it to search the entire collection of Shakespeare, but it can be used to do things like search the Bible, the U.S Constitution, famous quotations, Mother Goose nursery rhymes, etc..

Good-bye Redhat

There are many of use currently using Redhat 9 that are in the market for a new Desktop OS.  The two that I am strongly considering at this venture are Mandrake and SUSE.  They both have a few things going for them:  no broken’ass KDE version installed;  mp3 support out-o-da-box; and they have not abadoned the desktop community!

 Here is a review (read the comments too, they have some nice mandrake tips) of Mandrake’s newest desktop OS.

In addition here is a quick review of  SUSE’s latest Linux offering.  The reviewer also makes a point I have been making for a long while.  The question is not IF Linux is ready for the desktop… the question is WHICH desktops are ready for Linux?

Ode to Texas

My co-worker just got back from Houston, TX (the dirtiest city in the US!) At the same time Daniel sent me this list; it seem appropriate. You know you’re livin’ in Texas if…

  1. You measure distance in minutes.
  2. You’ve ever had to switch from “heat” to “A/C” in the same day.
  3. Stores don’t have shopping carts; they have buggies.
  4. Stores don’t have bags; they have sacks.
  5. You see a car running in the parking lot at the store with no one in it no matter what time of the year.
  6. You use “fix” as a verb. Example: I am fixing to go to the store.
  7. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, or animal.
  8. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
  9. You carry jumper cables in your car… for your own car.
  10. You know what “cow tipping” and “snipe-hunting” are.
  11. You only own four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tabasco.
  12. You think everyone from a bigger city has an accent.
  13. You think sexy lingerie is a tee shirt and boxer shorts.
  14. The local papers covers national and international news on one page but requires 6 pages for sports.
  15. You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.
  16. You know which leaves make good toilet paper.
  17. You find 90 degrees F “a little warm.”
  18. You know all four seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, Still Summer, and Christmas.
  19. You know whether another Texan is from southern, middle, or northern Texas as soon as they open their mouth.
  20. There is a Dairy Queen in every town with a population of 1000 or more.
  21. Going to Wal-Mart is a favorite past time known as “goin’ wal-martin” or off to “Wally World.”
  22. You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good chili weather.
  23. A carbonated soft drink isn’t a soda, cola or pop… it’s a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor.
  24. (…and in honor of Mike) You believe that the fastest way to get through traffic is to stop in the middle of the intersection during the red light.

Task Based UI’s

Inductive user interfaces (aka: IUI’s) or more commonly called “task-based” interfaces are a user interface (aka: UI) advancement that promotes “usage” or “tasks” over individual applications.

The article above talks about how Microsoft has promoted and been the most noticeable innovator of IUI’s. The reason I point the article out is because of an apparent “slight” to the Mac OSX community regarding the amount of innovation going into their OS. The author basically states that Mac OSX has done little or nothing (I would strongly support the use of the word nothing!) for UI advancement. This really bothers Mac users because they historically see themselves as the origin of all things innovative. And they were… once.

It’s a popular trend in the “literary computer expert world” to slight Microsoft for now comming out with a UI to the level of OSX. Some authors go so far as to say the Mac OSX is the “ultimage Unix desktop.” While many people believe the OSX is the most beautiful personal computer UI in existance… the reality of the matter is that it is less functional than OS9, less user-friendly than XP, less flexable than KDE,and less innovative than any of the above mentioned.

IUI’s is a wonderful advancement for the majority of end users (as long as power users do not loose their flexability), and one that should be promoted in all desktop UI’s. Denouncing it and rejecting it does nothing to help improve user interfaces. And makes those who ignore it look as ignorant as those who thought the internet was simply a fad.